“Switch” to this instead.

My life is one big crime scene. Mom helps herself to my room, my phone, and my gaming shit any time she wants so she can hunt for evidence that yeah—I’m not the son she thought I was.

A barrage of texts pop like fireworks on my phone’s display, but I assemble my backpack before checking them—before I have the chance to talk myself out of this. I stuff a raggedy JanSport with T-shirts and socks until it’s bursting. The gym shorts I have on will be enough to last me the summer, pants-wise. I can go weeks wearing these puppies. And that’s everything. Mom still has my laptop, so I don’t need anything else but my bike outside to take me to Ario’s. I’ll wait until she’s asleep and be gone before I ever have to hear the words Get out of my house.

I put on Kacey Musgraves. “High Horse” is a good bop; if I play “Space Cowboy” or any of her slower stuff, I’ll break like an egg yolk. Downstairs, Mom sings along—flatly—to Karen Carpenter while she washes the dishes, and I crank Ms. Musgraves up to my phone’s maximum volume. A cool night breeze flies in my open window, but still, I flick on the oscillating fan attached to the windowsill. When I get worked up like this, I overheat. I peel off my sleeveless hoodie, curl next to my wall charger, and let the coarse carpet fibers give me a back rub while I text my traitorous cousin Gina:

ur a goddamn snitch

ur baby’s ugly

A job well done, I block Gina’s number and her accounts everywhere on social media. Knowing her, she’ll create a fake account to follow me, so I set myself to private. Next comes the real business. I send identical, separate texts to Ario and Vicky: Got back my phone finally.

The “I’m typing” bubbles appear instantly.

Ario: omg are you okay???

Me: I’m so wiped out. I miss you.

Ario: I miss you! Did she hurt you?

Me: What? No she doesn’t do that. She’s just, like, mean, I guess.

Ario:

sorry hang on, my gd sister won’t leave me alone brb

Me: Okay! No worries!

All the worries.

I want to tell Ario I’ve already packed a bag to run away to his place, but that plan is already curdling. Am I really going to run away for my whole senior year? Is it even legal for the Navissis to take me in? What if his mom ends up saying no? She would never. But if she says yes, what do I do about school? Ario and I go to different ones, but his is a lot nicer. Maybe I could switch to his school—he’s out there and totally popular. He’s always hanging out with, like, a million people! Nobody gives him shit. He graduated last month, so we couldn’t be open, cutesy boyfriends who kiss in the hallways between classes, but at least I’d have an easier time of it over there.